2 boys accused of killing, mutilating catAssociated Press JONESBORO — Two Arkansas boys are accused of mutilating and killing a kitten, but court officials say they’re too young to be charged as delinquents. One of the children told a neighbor, who reported the incident Saturday afternoon after discovering the kitten’s remains in his backyard, The Jonesboro Sun reported. Jonesboro police said the stepfather of the 8- and 9-year-old children brought the kitten home after finding it wa...

Bond hearingsThe following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Wednesday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear Aug. 3 in Pope County Circuit Court. Brian Flud, 31, third-degree domestic battery — $15,000. On Monday, Flud and a London woman were allegedly at the London police chief’s residence fighting while intoxicated, according to a report. The sa...

Pizza robber arrestedAn 18-year-old Russellville man was arrested Tuesday night in connection with an armed robbery of a local chain pizza deliverer. Camion Felder appeared in bond hearings Wednesday and had his bail set at $75,000 by District Court Judge Don Bourne. Felder will appear in Pope County Circuit Court on Aug. 3 to face an armed robbery felony charge. On Monday at about 9:53 p.m., Russellville police officers were dispatched in reference to a pizza del...

Plaisance bond set at $100,000A Dover man who fled from London police after being stopped driving a missing woman’s vehicle had his bond set at $100,000 by District Court Judge Don Bourne on Wednesday. Thomas Plaisance, 38, will appear in Pope County Circuit Court on Aug. 3 to face felony charges of theft by receiving and simultaneous possession of a controlled substance and firearm. His bond hearing was at the Pope County Detention Center. On Friday, London police attempt...

Plaisance taken into custodyA Dover man was arrested by Arkansas State Police at a residence near London on Monday night after fleeing law enforcement during a traffic stop Friday. Thomas Irvin Plaisance, 38, was taken into custody by ASP Trooper Chris Goodman after 10 p.m. Monday and is incarcerated at the Pope County Detention Center, where he is expected to have a bond hearing today. According to a story by Ryan Smith in Tuesday’s edition of The Courier, Plaisance was...

Pizza delivery man robbed at gunpoint Russellville police officers responded to the 300 block of Lock and Dam Road at approximately 9:53 p.m. on Monday in response to an alleged armed robbery. When officers arrived on scene, they determined that three black males, one armed with a firearm, robbed a pizza delivery man and fled the scene before officers arrived, according to a Russellville Police Department (RPD) press release. Anyone with any information on this incident is asked t...

Prison department wants details of federal probeLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Department of Correction has formally requested details of the allegations that initiated a federal investigation into possible sexual abuse and harassment at a women's prison. In a letter dated Thursday, June 18, and sent to the U.S. Department of Justice Division of Civil Rights, Department of Correction Director Wendy Kelley wrote that it's her department's duty to investigate any allegations against current ...

Bond Hearings (June 22, 2015)The following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Monday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear August 3 in Pope County Circuit Court. • Joshua Harris, 28, possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia — $7,500. At about 12:14 a.m. on Saturday, a Pope County Sheriff’s officer (PCSO) stopped Harris for failing to use his turn signal. Ha...

Bond hearingsThe following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Monday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear August 3 in Pope County Circuit Court. Joshua Harris, 28, possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia — $7,500. At about 12:14 a.m. on Saturday, a Pope County Sheriff’s officer (PCSO) stopped Harris for failing to use his turn signal. Harr...

Two arrested in missing woman's Jeep, driver at largeTwo individuals were arrested on Friday in London after being pulled over in a vehicle belonging to Ali Hunt, 20, who has been missing from Yell County since early May. The driver, Tommy Plaisance, fled the scene and remains at large. On Friday, Hunt’s grandmother allegedly observed her granddaughter's 2004 beige Jeep Wrangler in Russellville and followed it, observing multiple passengers, including Chad Standridge, 42, and Nicole Bolyer, 20.T...

Police check new lead on escaped prisonersFRIENDSHIP, N.Y. — The search for two killers landed Saturday in New York’s southern tier near the Pennsylvania border, about 350 miles from the prison where they escaped two weeks ago. New York State Police spokesman Beau Duffy said officers were investigating a possible sighting of the prisoners near the Allegany County hamlet of Friendship. He gave no other details. David Sweat and Richard Matt escaped June 6 from the Clinton Correctional F...

Church shooting site to re-open; FBI reviews manifestoCHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — A small group of parishioners was allowed inside the bullet-scarred Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church on Saturday, getting a firsthand glimpse of the room where nine people from their congregation were slain. Meanwhile, the FBI said it was investigating a manifesto purportedly written by the suspected gunman, 21-year-old Dylann Roof. The website linked to Roof contained photos of him holding a burning American ...

Bond hearings (June 18, 2015)The following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Wednesday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear July 20 in Pope County Circuit Court. Debra Johnson, 27, theft by receiving — $10,000. At about 8:40 p.m. on Monday an Arkansas State Police trooper received a call from On-Star about a stolen vehicle traveling west on Interstate 40. The tr...

Bond hearingsThe following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Wednesday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear July 20 in Pope County Circuit Court. Debra Johnson, 27, theft by receiving — $10,000. At about 8:40 p.m. on Monday an Arkansas State Police trooper received a call from On-Star about a stolen vehicle traveling west on Interstate 40. The tr...

Inmate dies after prison stabbingSEARCY (AP) — The Arkansas Department of Correction says an inmate treated and released from a hospital following a stabbing has died. Joe Harter, 32, was pronounced dead Wednesday morning at a Searcy hospital. Department officials say he was stabbed in the chest Monday during an altercation with another inmate at the Grimes Unit in Newport. They say a homemade weapon was confiscated after the attack. The identity of the other inmate hasn't be...

FBI: Man shot outside of Arkansas Air Force base diesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An armed man who was shot by guards after crashing his SUV while trying to break into an Arkansas military base has died, authorities said Wednesday. Larry D. McElroy, 43, died Tuesday night at a Little Rock hospital, FBI spokeswoman Deb Green said. McElroy had been in critical condition since Monday, when guards shot him after he crashed his SUV outside of the Little Rock Air Force Base and emerged from the vehicle holding ...

Little Rock council rejects police residency requirementLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Little Rock City Council has rejected a proposal to require newly hired police officers to live within city limits. The council voted 6-4 Tuesday night against the residency requirement following nearly two hours of discussion and public comment. Councilwoman Erma Hendrix says her proposal was designed to better race relations following high-profile police shootings of black men. She says only 21 percent of the city's 35...

Lawmaker who gave away girls won't seek re-electionLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas lawmaker who gave his adopted daughters to a man who later admitted to sexually assaulting one of them says he won't seek re-election in 2016. Republican Rep. Justin Harris of West Fork says he made the decision about a month ago. Harris says he previously considered stepping back but acknowledged the decision was influenced by the widespread scrutiny following a March Arkansas Times article detailing Harris' act...

Maumelle man stabbed while in car near fire stationMAUMELLE (AP) — Police are investigating the stabbing of a man near a fire station in Maumelle. Steven Wilson, 39, was stabbed Monday afternoon while he was in his vehicle stopped at a stop sign. Capt. Jim Hansard said in a statement that Wilson told authorities a man walked up to his vehicle and stabbed him in the abdomen. Wilson said he drove himself to Maumelle Fire Station 2 after the incident. Police responded and found Wilson being treat...

Funeral home owners charged with corpse abuseLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The owners of a closed Arkansas funeral home were charged Tuesday with 13 counts of abuse of a corpse after regulators found bodies stacked on top of each other and some stored outside of a freezer earlier this year. Arkansas Funeral Care's owners, 86-year-old LeRoy Wood and his 61-year-old son, Rod Wood, appeared in Jacksonville District Court early Tuesday and were released on their own recognizance. Former funeral directo...